It's been a rough couple of years for the commodities group. Investors nearly abandoned most of the sector during this time, leaving energy and fertilizer stocks in the dust, but in 2016, there was some relief.

Gold has rebounded and is up 20% year-to-date. Oil hit lows in February but has bounced off that level and hasn't re-visited it. Fertilizer prices, however, continue to struggle but analysts see a turnaround coming in 2017.

Is this the time to get into the commodities as a play on the turnaround? It's a risky proposition. Commodities are still clearly out of favor.

The Zacks Market Edge Podcast looked into the three key commodities areas earlier this year and asked: should you be investing now?

Should You Take a Chance on the Fertilizer Stocks?

The agriculture industry continues to struggle as farming incomes have fallen three straight years.

Fertilizer demand has softened, and prices have fallen too. That leaves the fertilizer giants in a tough place, with declining earnings.

Tracey Ryniec and Jeremy Mullin explore the biggest names including Potash (POT - Analyst Report) and Agrium (AGU - Analyst Report), which just agreed to merge in 2017.

Are the fertilizer stocks cheap? Are there opportunities here?

Tracey and Jeremy will fill you in.

Is the Worst Over for Energy?

Tracey and Sheraz Mian have talked about the energy market several times in 2016.

In August, though, it appeared that things were turning around. Instead of being cut, earnings estimates were back on the move higher again.

Crude also seemed to have stabilized and oil inventories were dropping, indicating that supply and demand were re-balancing.

The Top Energy Stocks to Buy Now

Not every energy stock is created equal, however. They all have their niches.

Sheraz is still a fan of the big integrated oil companies like Exxon (XOM) and Chevron (CVX - Analyst Report). But if you like a little more risk, then the E&Ps are where you should be. Sheraz's favorite is Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD -Analyst Report) .

Tracey has her favorite picks as well.

But what about the energy service companies and the MLPs? Should investors be considering them in 2016?

Tune into this podcast to find out.

The Commodity With the Golden Touch

Gold has been among the hottest commodities this year. It's actually out performing the S&P 500.

Tracey and Jeremy drill down into the reasons gold has been so hot including the fear trade, both about Brexit and now about the US Presidential Election, and negative bond yields forcing investors to look for returns elsewhere.

The easiest way to invest directly in gold is through the Gold ETF (GLD). But investors can also play the gold miners through triple ETFs such as the Gold Miners Triple ETF (NUGT - ETF report) .

What do Jeremy and Tracey think about gold going forward? Should you be investing now, if you aren’t already in it? Or is it too late?

Find out more in this podcast.